It's not all about CTE and head traumas

Let’s not forget about injuries to the rest of a football player’s body

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Quincy Black (58) gives a thumbs-up to the crowd as he leaves the field after being injured in a collision with San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews.
— K.C. Alfred

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Quincy Black (58) gives a thumbs-up to the crowd as he leaves the field after being injured in a collision with San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews.
— K.C. Alfred

We know that suffering brain injuries can lead to memory loss, but it turns out talking about them can, too.

It can make one forget about arthritic hips, ruptured patellas and degenerative ankles. It can cause mangled fingers and busted lower backs to escape our recollection.

Yes, the sports world has finally woken up to the perils of head trauma, and as a result, numerous lives will be saved and countless more improved. But let’s not forget about the rest of a football player’s body – which an NFL career can ravage like a hurricane.

What about Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Telander’s profile on Doug Atkins, the Hall of Fame defensive end whose cracked hip has him hobbling like an amputee?

Looking for something gorier? Check out Dan Lebatard of the Miami Herald’s feature on Jason Taylor, the former Dolphins defensive end whose back prevented him from putting his kids to bed, and whose bloody leg was nearly amputated due to a calf injury numbed by painkillers.

The human body isn’t designed to absorb hits from 290-pound nose tackles picturing you as a piñata. It isn’t built to lie at the bottom of a two-ton pile while clutching a football so hard it could pop.

We all hear about Super Bowl champions going to Disneyland. What’s less publicized is that most go to physical therapy, too.

The aforementioned Sports Illustrated story cited a poll in which 65 percent of the former NFL players surveyed said they suffered a major injury (requiring surgery or causing them to miss eight games) at some point in their careers. It also noted how such injuries increased dramatically in recent years due to artificial turf and the Herculean might of modern-day athletes.

Sure, NFL rules have changed to better protect players, but there can only be so many modifications before the essence of the game is depleted. The league’s task now is to emphasize safety off the field as much as it does on.

Hall of Fame offensive lineman Ron Yary doesn’t have any debilitating health problems save for a bum hip he says is primarily due to getting old. But whenever the 67-year-old goes back to Canton, Ohio for the Hall of Fame induction, he runs into a host of retired linemen and linebackers who look like they’re 60 and move like they’re 90.

On one hand, you can say that, with today’s advanced medicine, players are more likely to live productive, pain-free lives after retirement. But on the other you can say that, with today’s advanced medicine, future retirees are as doomed as ever.

Using painkillers such as Toradol, players today are running onto the field when they should be lying in a recliner. Their bodies are screaming “stop!” but they’re putting their fingers in their ears and shouting “la la la!”